Rapid changes in migratory flows towards Europe in the past decade have solidified irregular migration as a priority on the political agenda in the European Union (EU) and most of its Member States. Awareness-raising campaigns on the risks of irregular migration have been among the many responses aimed at reducing irregular migration to Europe. Given the significant investment in such campaigns, Member States and the European Commission (EC) aim to collate and disseminate collective lessons learned on campaign design and implementation. Despite considerable investment in such initiatives, empirical evidence on the effectiveness of campaigns remains insufficient.

The Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME) commissioned Seefar, together with its consortium partner Ecorys, to conduct this two-phase study to address these existing evidence gaps. The study presents best practices from 20 existing campaigns, and seeks to highlight ways to improve the quality and effectiveness of future campaigns. This final report presents the cumulative results of the two phases of this study. First, the report presents key findings on research and design, delivery and working methods, and monitoring and evaluation methods. Second, the key findings are followed by recommendations. Finally, the recommendations are complemented with a ‘toolkit’ to help implementers and donors resolve the most common issues uncovered.